Bright Morning Star (26 page)

Calum looked miserable, “That she loves me and wants to be my wife, nothing more but nothing less. I’m going back to the Fort tomorrow and taking her brothers with me.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to let her get by with that. The way she loves you, you could force her to go back with you,” Henry said.

Calum sighed and stared, but could only see Henry’s outline. “It’s Bonnie. She’s so damned sensible, so practical. If we don’t wait, if she doesn’t get her divorce and land, she’ll always blame me. She has to want me more than all the rest.”

“You’re going to wait a year?”

“Or until she decides I’m the only thing she wants.” Calum smiled at his companion. “And you, not waiting for a proper year of mourning.”

Henry laughed and Calum was certain it was the first time he had heard him laugh.

“I had to insist she go to bed with her parents and promise to wait until we reached Ogden and a priest.”

Calum grabbed him in a bear hug and Henry laughed and tried to muffle the sound. “She loves me and has said yes. I think asking her father’s permission in the morning is just a formality.”

He stared up at the taller man and said. “I wish you didn’t have to go. Bonnie will miss you.”

Calum smiled wryly. “I hope so. I tried to leave her reason to.”

As they climbed into the Lambton wagon, Henry whispered. “I was wondering if you had any more secrets about women to share.”

When Claire finally woke, it was to the smell of coffee, bacon, and biscuits. She saw Bonnie and Mother at the fire and waved to Bonnie. They ran into the bushes together, laughing, and whispering. “He asked me too, well first he told me we were going to wed in Ogden.”

“Sounds like you straightened him out.” She twirled Claire again, then said, “That soon, we’ll be there in less than a week?”

Claire laughed and lifted Bonnie’s hands. Dust blew up from the dried earth as they danced back toward the campfire.

Bonnie stopped after a few steps. “Calum has gone back to the fort, and he took my brothers. I would have laid there in my warm bed, dreaming, if I hadn’t heard your Mother swearing at the fire. None of the three bothered to come and say goodbye.”

“Hurry, help break the news to Mother and Father.” Bonnie laughed as they both came to the campfire and heard cries of ‘Congratulations.’ Henry was beaming and the twins were jumping up and down. Mother stood with her arms open for Claire.

For a moment, Claire resented Henry for sharing the news without her. He must have read her disapproval because he stepped up and took her hand to kiss in front of the others. “Mary Anne guessed, I was going to deny it, then your Mother looked at me, and I could not lie.”

As her Father walked up to the gathering, Claire broke away and ran to hug him, shouting, “Henry asked me to marry him.”

<><><>

The day they were to enter Ogden was busy. Claire and Bonnie had complained about what to wear for the wedding. Mary Anne volunteered to decorate their best dresses for the occasion. She added lace collars and cuffs to the white blouse and attached a little lace trim to the skirt pockets and along the hem to Bonnie’s black skirt.

Claire looked radiant in her own lace adorned gown, the light-weight purple flowered wool she had purchased in Boston. Her hair had been restored to its old style of golden ringlets and Mary Anne had created a lace scarf to tie beneath the curls but not hide their beauty.

They spent a long time dressing and styling each other’s hair, even after the wagon train was ready to finish the last two miles into the town of Ogden. It was called Junction City by most people because the Union and Pacific railroads met here as well as the Virginia City-Corinne Road. Bonnie was glad to be at the end of the journey, but heartsick still at missing Calum.

Both added their big brimmed bonnets to protect their hair from the dusty trail. Claire pointed out the golden leaved aspens, stark against the dark evergreens. Mary Anne ran about as usual, gathering flowers near the trail.

They were fourth in line today and they watched town people already stopping their business to stare at this group of new pilgrims into the western wilderness. Up ahead one of the wagons stopped, and Tom and Jim stopped their own team, Jim ran up to the outside to take the other end of the oxen yoke from his brother. Bonnie and Claire stepped closer, clasping hands and looking around for the Catholic Church as they strode down the dusty street. Tyler and Tip were racing about eager to get the team back in motion as all heard a woman scream.

Bonnie stared as a young woman in lavender screamed again. As she recognized Lynne, she heard Claire scream her name as well. Before either of them could move a tiny blur ran and leaped into her arms. Bonnie let go of Claire’s hands as they both started running for their friend. Tom and Jim left the oxen and bolted for her.

Lynne was laughing and crying, kissing first Mary Anne, then Tom and Jim. Claire was still squealing in delight and Henry dismounted to move protectively beside his bride to be. Bonnie laughed as she heard her friend’s happy voice saying over and over again how much they had changed. In six months, their smart friend had been transformed as well.

Lynne released her family, and the children stood back a step to let the three women embrace. Behind her short friend they saw a tall man dressed in black let his hands drop down from his guns. As his face softened with a smile, he started toward them. Claire looked at Lynne. “My, my, that little ad undersold him, he’s breathtaking.” Behind them, Father called to Henry as he dismounted to steady the oxen.

“You look so beautiful,” all three said at the same time as they stepped back enough to see each other. Lynne laughed and whispered, “Pinch me. I can’t believe you’re here. Safe and strong and healthy just as I’ve dreamed it.”

“It's wonderful, isn’t it,” Claire said. “Oh Lynne, Bonnie and I are engaged. She pointed to the handsome blonde man beside the gigantic oxen. Henry brushed his trimmed mustache and smiled shyly. “This is Henry Lambton, my betrothed. We’re going to get married today. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Claire spun and looked around, “Where’s the church?”

Lynne and Bonnie exchanged glances and all three hugged again.

<><><>

“There are just two in town, the Episcopal and Mormon. Phillip called on each one and this one’s minister is in town. We were married in the claims office in Helena,” Lynne said.

“My goodness, Lynne, you were so brave. We’ve read your letters over and over. But I’ve never heard of an Episcopalian?” Claire said.

“Be glad they’re not Mormons,” Bonnie said. “You don’t want to compete with other wives.”

“It’s hard enough competing with Bella’s ghost,” the nervous bride said.

“Episcopalians call themselves the Protestant Catholics. But they do have priests and a Bishop,” Lynne said. “Who is Bella?”

“She was Henry’s wife, but she was killed by Indians between here and North Platte,” Bonnie answered. “It happened while I was living with the Indians who had captured me.”

“You were captured by Indians? Good grief, Willow, are you okay, did they…?”

“They treated me like a guest. The chief captured me so I could tend his white wife while she died of cancer. The army sent men to rescue me.”

“If she were an Indian, they would have just set her off somewhere to die and let the wolves eat her,” Claire interrupted again. “This handsome soldier, Lieutenant Calum Douglas rode in to save her. He traded his favorite horse and all his guns for her,” Claire said while raising her eyebrows suggestively and giggling.

Bonnie yelled “Goose,” and reached out to pinch Claire’s waist as though peeved. “If you weren’t the bride today.” She turned and stared at Lynne. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you everything later.”

<><><>

“Am I doing the right thing girls? His wife has been dead less than a month. Maybe I should wait,” Claire whined.

Bonnie shook her head and laughed before leaning over to tell Lynne in a whisper, “She told me she couldn’t stand the suspense of waiting. If it took any longer to get here, she was going to climb into his wagon and become a sinner.”

Lynne laughed out loud and Claire blushed and then giggled herself. “Well, you’ve both been married. Now, I’m not sure I can.” Claire looked nervously around the simple church, nothing like any of the Catholic churches she had ever been in. Luckily, there was no confessional box. The middle aged man staring impatiently at the three giggling girls looked like an ordinary priest in his black suit and stiff white collar.

He stepped closer to Henry, and then held out a hand toward Claire. Nervously, she whirled around, but couldn’t see Father. Henry motioned and she stepped forward.

“He just needs to talk to us before the ceremony,” Henry reassured her. In a small room at the back of the church, Claire felt better as the priest donned a white cassock and placed a gold stole around his neck. She waited, but didn’t see the large ceremonial cross her own priest always wore for weddings.

“A few formalities. Names, birthdates, religious affiliations, etc.” Claire gave her name and birth date, then whispered, Catholic. When Henry stated his name and Birthdate, Claire closed her eyes to try to help her remember the date. January 14, 1854 meant he was only twenty-two, just four years older than her. She expected him to say Jewish, but he said, none. “Do either of you wish to make a confession before the ceremony?”

Claire blushed and stared at Henry. He smiled and shook his head. Claire shook hers too.

“Now children, is this an arranged marriage, or a marriage based on love?”

“Love,” they answered together.

<><><>

In minutes they were back inside the church near the front, watching the children squirm beside her mother while her friends stood in the back beside her, trying to calm her nerves. All three had shed the cumbersome bonnets and Lynne stood fussing with Claire’s hair while Bonnie repeated, “you look beautiful.”

As the doors of the church opened, Claire turned and sagged in relief as Father entered. He looked a little flustered and she noticed Lynne’s tall gunman escorting him. Phillip Gant left him at the back of the church, and then moved to take his place on the left side for Henry. Claire knew he had been arranging a safe place for their wagons. Did Father have the heavy belt with their money on beneath his coat? What about Henry’s money?”

Lynne and Bonnie were still talking. “Bonnie, really. Is this gallant Lieutenant your intended?” He gave up his favorite horse for you?”

“He’d had the stallion for years and told the chief it had saved his life dozens of times. The chief gave me the horses back when he released me. You should see my horse, Brown Bess, she has the cutest colt.” Bonnie raised her hand in the air to indicate the size of the strange animal.

Claire stood frozen to the spot as Robert Wimberley dusted himself enough to move forward to the end of the aisle.

Lynne whispered as they pushed Claire in front of them to where her father waited to hold her arm. “Good luck, goose.”

<><><>

Claire slipped her icy fingers into her father’s warm hands and immediately relaxed as he smiled down at her.

“Frightened? You sure you want to do this. You always have a home with Mother and me.”

Claire smiled and felt joy flood through her. “He is what I want, Father.”

The girls walked sedately in front of her. On the Bride’s side of the aisle sat Mother Wimberley with the McKinney’s children. The boys wore their tight coats over their dusted trail clothes. Mary Anne wore her best dress proudly, knowing she looked pretty today. She moved to the end of the aisle and reached out to hand Claire the bouquet of Hyssop and Pye weed she had picked on the way into town. The wilting purple and pink blooms made Claire smile and her eyes water at all the love in them.

Three dusky Indians and a couple of strange looking trail drivers, one tall and thin, the other short and round, sat on the left side of the church. She realized Lynne’s husband Phillip had brought people to fill in the groom’s side of the church. He seemed even more wonderful than Lynne had written. Now he stood by Henry at the altar. Henry was nervously waiting for her.

Everyone was trying to make the hasty ceremony what she had dreamed her wedding would be. In front of her she heard her friends still whispering.

“I love him, Lynne. He is tall and handsome and all that is kind. But since I’m married, he returned to the Fort and his duties while I look for land and a house. I hope to find something off the railroad right of way so I can move my family out here to join me. In a year…” Bonnie was saying.

The priest hissed in annoyance at the whispering women as Claire’s father gave her a last kiss and placed her hand in Henry’s. The two girls, one tall and the other petite looked guiltily at each other and held hands silently while Claire and Henry exchanged their vows.

All she heard was Henry as he stared into her eyes and said, “I promise to love, honor, and protect.”